WhatsApp's upcoming 'enterprise' platform for businesses is already hidden in the app

WhatsApp's plan to let businesses directly message its more than
one billion users appears to be taking shape.

Multiple references to "enterprise" message templates have been
uncovered in WhatsApp's code, according to the Twitter account
"WABetaInfo." One
template would allow a business to send a message that's
translated into the targeted user's language, for example.

The creator of WABetaInfo couldn't be reached by Business
Insider, but the
account claims to have first seen references to
structured message templates in WhatsApp's code after a
November update that added GIF support. A WhatsApp spokesperson
wasn't immediately able to comment.

Structured WhatsApp messages have several templates: one of these is the translation of the message in the user language ...

WhatsApp, which Facebook bought for $22 billion in 2014,
announced its plans to let businesses message users in August
2016.

"We want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses
that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience
without third-party banner ads and spam," a WhatsApp spokesman
said at the time.

Facebook started letting businesses message its users on
Messenger in April 2016, and
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has suggested that businesses will
be able to hook into WhatsApp in 2017.

Unlike Facebook, WhatsApp encrypts messages by default.
WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum has been a strong privacy
advocate and staunch opponent of online advertising for years.
He once told Forbes that "dealing with ads is depressing ...
You don’t make anyone’s life better by making advertisements work
better."